As the kids were busy stuffing gold coins and jewels into their bags, the mages seemed to have finished appraising the equipment. When the group read the descriptions on the appraisal scrolls, they all let out gasps of amazement. Discovering another rare class item was nothing short of a miracle.
It was undeniably encouraging, but I couldn’t help but wonder why I hadn’t been able to find such treasures in my first run. I quickly brushed off that thought, focusing instead on the joy and excitement of my companions. The first run was in the past; what mattered now was the present, the second run.
After a flurry of excited chatter, the group gradually fell silent, eyeing each other with a mix of anticipation and tension. The quality of the items was so high that everyone was on edge about who would get what.
As I mentally sorted out how to distribute the equipment, a slight sense of regret crept in. The items clearly demonstrated why I emphasized magical power so much and why I was so particular about every single point in that stat.
Most of the gear was suited for close-combat roles, especially tanks, which made Ahn Hyun the ideal candidate among us. However, many of the items had conditions like “based on the user’s magical power.”
For instance, even if Ahn Hyun wielded the legendary shield of Hofron, its reflection effect would diminish significantly if struck by someone with higher magical power than him. If I were to hit it with some force, it wouldn’t reflect but rather send him sprawling. Even with the luck stat’s bonus, it was best to consider the uncertain aspects. While it was a bit disappointing now, it meant that as the kids grew, the equipment would become more effective.
Just as I was about to start distributing the gear, Jung Ha-yeon, who had been watching me intently, stepped forward.
“Soo-hyun, I have a proposal on behalf of the other users.”
I closed my mouth and turned my attention to Ha-yeon. Her face was calm, but her eyes were filled with determination. The word “represent” caught my attention, but I decided to hear her out.
“All the achievements so far have been under your leadership, Soo-hyun. We know it’s your right as the leader. But this time, we want our opinions to be considered too.”
“Yeah, bro. Let us have a say this time.”
As soon as Ha-yeon finished speaking, Ahn Hyun chimed in, followed by nods from An Sol, Lee Yoo-jung, Shin Sang-yong, and Vivian, all supporting Ha-yeon’s suggestion.
“Hmm.”
I scratched my head, lost in thought. It was an issue that needed addressing as we transitioned into a clan and aimed for a small, elite group. It was a bit surprising that it came up so soon. I thought I had been generous, but I felt a bit awkward. Still, I shrugged and stepped back, signaling them to go ahead and speak.
But instead of talking, they all looked at each other and then simultaneously picked up a piece of equipment. Watching them, I frowned. They should have chosen items that matched their class and abilities, but their choices seemed random. Especially Ha-yeon picking up a helmet—it made no sense. I was about to ask what they were doing when—
“Hi-yah!”
I was taken aback as Yoo-jung charged at me with the “Glory of the Sky” in hand. Before I knew it, everyone except Go Yeon-joo had surrounded me, frantically patting me down. I tried to resist, but with so many hands holding me, I couldn’t use much force without risking injury. Not fully understanding the situation, I couldn’t act rashly.
“What are you all doing? Ha-yeon, put the helmet away! Why are you trying to force it on me… Hey, get your hand off my chest!”
“Hold still. You’re making it harder.”
“Yeah, bro. We’re giving everything to you this time.”
“What do you mean…?”
“If we leave it to you, you’ll just give it all to us again.”
“Strip him! Strip him! Hehehe.”
“Soo-hyun! This will boost your stamina! Come on, open up! Ah~.”
In the chaos, I turned to Go Yeon-joo for help, but she just watched with an amused smile. Her smile made me uneasy, and I tried to look away, but it seemed to spur her on.
“Hoho. Everyone, step aside. This is how you undress a man.”
With that, she moved swiftly, and I felt something brush over me. My simple shirt was torn in half, and the group cheered at Go Yeon-joo’s handiwork.
“Soo-hyun, tilt your head this way…”
“Bro, start with this…”
“Wow, wow, finally, brother’s chest…”
“Don’t be mad, just eat this…”
As my clothes were torn away, my bare upper body was exposed. The cheers gradually died down. I looked down at my body with a bitter expression.
Though my endurance had improved, my body was still covered in faint scars. Old wounds that refused to fully heal. Even Ha-yeon looked shocked, her eyes wide. We had shared a night together once, but it had been in a dark room, so she hadn’t noticed. Now, under the bright light of the lobby’s light stone, my scars were laid bare for all to see.
The once lively group fell silent, their faces awkward and filled with guilt.
I quietly donned the “Glory of the Sky,” which Yoo-jung had draped over me, and tied the “Red Belt” that Vivian handed me. The clothes fit as if tailored for me.
Looking up, I saw the group looking flustered and unsure. Vivian scratched her cheek awkwardly, and Go Yeon-joo clicked her tongue. Shin Sang-yong let out a deep sigh, and Ha-yeon’s small voice reached my ears.
“Soo-hyun, I’m sorry.”
”…It’s fine.”
“When we went to the city earlier, we agreed with the other users to give all the equipment to you this time. You’ve always been so selfless, and we wanted to give you something for a change…”
“I appreciate the thought, but there was no need for this. I would have understood if you had just told me.”
Ha-yeon stepped back, her shoulders slumping, biting her lip, her eyes trembling as if she might cry. I sighed and patted her shoulder a couple of times.
Honestly, I was a bit upset. But showing my scars wasn’t a big deal, and they meant well, so I decided to let it go. Sensing my mood, Shin Sang-yong, holding a pair of gloves, bowed deeply.
“Leader, I’m truly sorry. Jung Ha-yeon was just our representative; she wasn’t the one who came up with the idea. I was one of those who agreed. We thought it was a good idea, but we were too focused on our perspective. I’m really sorry.”
His apology eased my irritation. They had done it out of concern for me. I didn’t like the method, but I relaxed my expression and nodded.
Noticing my softened demeanor, Yoo-jung, seemingly the group’s spokesperson, spoke up.
“Oppa, I’m sorry. I was the one who first suggested it. Like Shin Sang-yong said, Jung Ha-yeon was just representing us. So it’s mostly my fault. But…”
She paused, looking cautious. I watched her lips move, signaling her to continue. She swallowed and went on.
“All the equipment we’ve found so far, except for one ring, hasn’t gone to you. So we thought it would be nice to give you something this time… I’m sorry. But please, don’t just give everything to us. I want you to have some too. Seeing your scars now, it really hurts my heart.”
The other users didn’t have much to add. However, the slight nods of their heads suggested they agreed with Yujeong.
”…”
It was a refreshing feeling. Back in my first run as a novice user, it was common to hop from caravan to caravan. Naturally, back then, whenever good equipment or items appeared, everyone would eye each other, trying to claim them, often leading to subtle competition. There were times when I ended up with an unfair share without even realizing it. Although the situation now was quite different, seeing this kind of attitude brought about a strange sense of nostalgia.
The group wasn’t as noisy as before, but they still offered me the items they held. I cleared my throat slightly and began to quietly equip the gear they handed over.
After some time, I finally finished distributing the equipment. Since most of the items this time were for close combat, many users didn’t receive anything, but they didn’t express any particular dissatisfaction, having received things in the past. The only user I was concerned about was Shin Sangyong, and I planned to have a separate conversation with Vivian soon. If I deemed him worthy, I would gift him the rare class
This time, I received the largest share of equipment. As Yujeong had said, the group seemed determined, showing no greed and willingly yielding to each other.
“Wow, you look amazing, oppa.”
“A black robe with a red belt. It suits you well. Hoho.”
“Hehe… You look great, brother.”
I gave an awkward smile at the women’s chatter around me and opened my player status window. It seemed like a good time to check my updated stats.
Name: Kim Suhyun (0-year)
Class: Sword Specialist (Secret, Master)
Nation: -
Clan: -
True Name · Nationality: Master of the Sword · South Korea
Sex: Male (24)
Height · Weight: 181.5cm · 75.5kg
Alignment: Lawful · Chaos
[Strength 96(+2)] [Endurance 92] [Agility 98] [Stamina 72] [Magic 96] [Luck 90(+2)]
(12 ability points remaining.)
<Achievements (1)>
<Unique Abilities (1/1)>
<Special Abilities (1/1)>
<Potential Abilities (4/4)> (1 ability point remaining.)
Melee Combat (Rank: A Plus)
Unyielding (Rank: A Plus)
Insight (Rank: A Plus)
Blessing of the Battlefield (Rank: EX)
Strictly speaking, the only ones who benefited from the Chaos Mimic this time were Ahn Hyun and me. Out of the 16 items, I ended up with half, totaling eight. Here’s the list:
『A Four-Leaf Clover』
『Twin Head Ogre Power Gauntlet』
『Coat Of Plate』
『Glory Of Heaven』
『Glory Of Sun』
『Elixir (Stamina)』
『Mugum』
『Ilwol Divine Sword』
I was granted the right to use these eight items.
Not all of the remaining eight items went to the group. Three elixirs, a Pegasus egg, a unicorn horn, a rare class (Twilight Priestess), the Bow of Purification, and the Legend of Hoplon were also kept under my management. There were no users who could immediately use them.
In the end, only two items went to the others: the Helm of Courage and the Mighty Sun.
I was a bit tempted by the
Lost in thought for a while, I noticed a peculiar gaze and looked up to see Ahn Sol smiling at me. It wasn’t just Ahn Sol; everyone seemed to be in a good mood, smiling with thin lines on their lips. Even those who hadn’t received anything were smiling at me, which left me feeling a bit awkward.
To be honest, I couldn’t understand them. I wondered if they secretly harbored any resentment or if they were just naturally kind-hearted. One would expect some disappointment at not getting such good equipment, but they seemed satisfied just because I had them.
I let out a meaningless sigh and shook my head. Then, I turned my gaze to the stamina elixir in my hand. If I drank it now, I could immediately increase my stamina to 76 points. It was an elixir comparable to the rewards from completing the User Academy.
I didn’t swallow it right away but stared at it. Previously, I had obtained an elixir that increased stamina by 2 points for users with less than 70 points at the Ruined Laboratory. However, I had impulsively consumed a stamina-boosting elixir purchased with GP, missing the opportunity to use it. Learning from that mistake, I was now cautious about consuming elixirs immediately. The reason I hadn’t used my remaining ability points was similar. I didn’t want to repeat the same mistake.
So, I turned my attention to Vivian. I still had Vivian’s Elixir, Belphegor’s Heart, two stamina elixirs (70 or below +2, 80 or below +4), and Horen’s Magic Stone. I wondered if combining these materials might yield a better elixir. It seemed like a good idea to bring it up when I talked to Vivian about Shin Sangyong’s issue later.
Just then.
Clunk! Creak.
“Excuse me… I heard there’s a 0-year user named Kim Suhyun here.”
With the sound of the door opening, a slightly unfamiliar but vaguely familiar voice echoed through the inn’s lobby. A clear, gentle voice. All of us, including myself, instinctively turned our heads toward the source of the voice.
And there, in my line of sight, was a user I never expected to meet at this moment.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Hello, this is Royujin.
Haha. Many of you are worried about the troublesome girl. Rest assured, I won’t disappoint you in that regard. Suhyun isn’t a fool, and he won’t let anyone take his money or equipment. (I never even considered such a plot…)
Oh, I made a few edits to the previous chapter as I was writing in a hurry yesterday. I tweaked a couple of pieces of equipment, but nothing major has changed!
PS. Thank you to everyone who gave recommendations, comments, and coupons. (__) Thanks to the successful midnight release, the coupons are pouring in… I’m truly grateful. :)
『 Reader Comments 』
Kuroshion: Congratulations on being first. You’ve reclaimed the top spot, congratulations. :)
Saramin: It must be very sad for you. Please stay strong. I have nothing else to say but this.
POWERED: Haha. You don’t need to worry too much. Those parts won’t appear in this chapter. :)
Hyunoh: Please don’t spank me. Hold your horses.
wooyu01: Suhyun received a lot this time. Still, there should be at least one or two things for the others, right? :)
AwkwardHooni: Hahaha. If that happens, Suhyun won’t just stand by. He’ll probably swing his sword and take all the equipment back. Hahaha.
Eumwolmagun: NO. Mugum is stored in the bag, and the luck effect only applies to users with less than 90 luck.
SeriousInvincibleReader: Suhyun isn’t a fool. In his first run, he even killed a vagrant and sold his underwear. Hahaha. Please don’t worry too much.
RoCheu: Originally, I planned for 450-550 chapters, but it seems like it will be longer.
hohokoya1: To answer your question, yes, he can use dual swords. However, using dual swords is less efficient than using a single sword. (Of course, for someone like Suhyun, it doesn’t make much difference, but there is a slight difference in skill level.) He might use dual swords a few times in the future, but the focus will be on single sword use.
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I always read all the comments repeatedly.
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That’s all for today.
I hope you always read the story with a relaxed mind.
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